View Single Post

Princess: The Hopeful

Appropriate subtitle to come later.

So, here's the deal.

These are your prelude stories. Most of you will experience your first Transformation inside of them. We won’t be using dice, and these shouldn’t go more than 10 posts at most. If you want to do a thing and it’s within your character’s ability to do, you do that thing. All these events are assumed to have happened roughly one week before the actual story starts.

Respond in spoiler tags if you would, that should make tracking them easier. Ask me if you have any confusion or questions.

All OOC text will be in ((parenthesis)). I tend to like to include music in games, so I'll be linking to some periodically. You can assume unless I say otherwise it's all work/humanity safe. If it doesn't really do anything for you, let me know and I'll cut it out.

In Sleep He Sang to Me - Shirley/jamieth

Spoiler

Show

You’ve had this dream before, but you never figure out what it is until it’s over.

You stand in an extravagant ballroom, vague shapes of people clustered all around, a sea of fine suits and dresses of an archaic style from somewhere in the 1800s. Tables and other furniture little the room, somewhere in the corner a band has just ceased to play a string of music you can’t quite remember, and a hush has fallen across the audience. Next to you stands a man in striking detail, his face unique among the washed-out colors of the masses. He wears something more of common stock, heavy coat and a suit in less vivid color. His features, however, are much more dignified, as is the wooden pipe tucked between his lips.

“-and that, my dear Watson, is how he was able to place the knife at the scene of the murder.” As Mr. Holmes speaks a pair of modern day English bobbies are zip-tying another gentleman’s hands behind his back, preparing to cart him away. “Of course,” The detective continues smoothly, “He couldn’t have done it without a bit of help, could he, Moriarty?”

A gasp runs through the crowd, and bodies part to reveal another man in fine, dark apparel. This one is also, unlike the crowds, fairly distinct. His mouth opens to offer his rebuttal-And nothing comes out. Something should. You’re sure of it. The crowd is still silent, the music still dead. Something feels wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.

There’s a sickening crack and a huge chunk of the wall is ripped asunder. What lies beyond is a kaleidoscope of images, landscapes, ideas, senses, and sounds, a dozen different realities that stretch on forever. From that chasm comes the beast, a hulking and vaguely humanoid figure of ebony black. In one massive clawed hand it clutches a writhing mass of bodies, screaming figures that, like Holmes and Moriarty, are strikingly real amidst the cloudy backdrop. “This isn’t right,” Holmes murmurs, his hand going for the pistol in his coat. “Something is wrong. This isn’t supposed to be here.”

And he’s right. This is very wrong. You’re not sure why yet, but you know it is. While you’re realizing that, the other hand of the creature is coming straight for you.

What does Shirley do? You are, obviously, in a dream. Though your character is not fully aware of such, dream logic does apply. So, if you want to pull a rocket launcher from under the table or something, feel free.

To Save the World - Kim/Mechanix

Spoiler

Show

It hasn't even been a full day since the incident. You haven't had a lot of time to think about it, but there's no way you dreamed this up. You're different now. You're transformed, stronger, better. When you sleep your dream begins to change, hazy clouds of thought crystallizing into something more firm. You're moving through a door. Through a palace. Through-No. Wait.

You jolt awake. The smell of smoke is thick in the air, and muffled voices can be heard outside of the window. Outside things are burning. The whole neighborhood is burning. Houses along down the block are ablaze, flames licking over roofs and lawns. The sounds of fire alarms have begun to filter through the rest of the noise. The fire hasn’t reached your house yet, but it’s coming.

Two things become immediately visible upon further inspection. In one of the homes across the street there’s a figure in an open window, flames wreathed all around. The rest of the house is ablaze, several people gathered on the street below in a panic. The second thing is also fairly concerning: A man dressed in heavy looking black clothing is moving down the middle of the street, with lighter in one hand and what looks like a shotgun in the other. The thing is, the light is blazing almost like a torch, flames flickering high above it, more fire than it should ever possibly be able to give off.

The sound of your parents banging at the door fills the room. They’re shouting, frantic, calling for you to get out of the house.

What does Kim do?

I Need a Hero - Erin Watson/sun_tzu

Spoiler

Show

You ran late at the library. There was a meeting, several people to talk to, books to read. You must have lost track of time, since the sun is already sinking below the horizon. The parking lot is mostly empty, a lone few cars remaining. The bus stop is a short walk down the road, streetlights providing dull illumination along the sidewalk. A few cars roll past, rumbling to a stop at nearby lights, bathing the streets in fluorescent whites.

There’s something rising over the sound of engines. Sharp cries of distress from somewhere near the back of the parking lot, where the lighting is too poor to make out clearly. Muffled shouts, figures moving in the dark. They become clearer at a closer distance, or given time to adjust to the lighting.

There are two larger figures menacing a smaller, cornering it back against one of the cars. Both are fairly large men, rough looking, clustered around a young man. Sprawled across the food of the car next to her is another figure, an older woman, still and unmoving.
“Now we know you’re holding out on us,” You can hear one of them say, “Come on, give it up.”

Marisol Ruis is someone that Nerissa has known for quite a while. While not necessarily best friends, their parents have known each other for years, and occasionally she’s shared her concerns whenever she and Nerissa had been together. Which had been frequently, over the past few weeks. She’d always been bullied and school, but it seemed to have been worse lately, and her reaction to it increasingly distressful.

The last conversation they had was the most concerning. Marisol’d asked what things would be like if she wasn’t around, and other less than happy thoughts. It seemed like she’d calmed down by the end of the conversation, but that might not have been the case. A few hours ago Nerissa received a voice message from the girl, thanking her for listening to her problems, and carrying a general note of finality. The last thing she said was that she was going to the Coronado Bridge to think.

By the time Nerissa is about halfway across she’ll spot the other girl. Marisol seems to be in conversation with another woman, an older looking person dressed in drab colors. They must have just finished speaking, since the younger girl is turning away. Then she starts doing something concerning. She stares down at the ocean 200 feet below for a minute, and then she begins to climb the railing.

((What does Nerissa do?))

Death Masks - Mia Hendrix / Regalus

Spoiler

Show

Mia’s been at work in the gymnasium for what must be hours. Schools is long since out, the rest of the team has gone home, but nobody has arrived to pick her up yet. So, there’s nothing left to do but keep practicing. They left the lights on at least, and a few staff are still around, but they seem to have largely forgotten the presence of students. So she’s left to her own devices.

Then something strange happens. The lights flicker once, the electrical generators making a brief, pained groan. A second time, and then all of the regular lights go out. There are, however, the emergency blubs high overhead. They cast the gym in a pale white light, illuminating patches here and there.

There’s something by the door. A person. Maybe. It’s a blob of darkness, wasn’t there just a second before. She didn’t hear the door open either. It’s face is covered by a mask of white, an oval shield that’s trained on the girl. It starts to move toward her. Slowly, but it is.